Click
on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or
Smashwords store

Author:

Danny
Gillan was raised and still lives in Glasgow, Scotland. His first ambition was
to be a musician, but ended up in the pub and hotel trade for a number of years
in a wide variety of roles, interspersed with periods in social care.

Danny has
written two novels, and a series of short stories which have appeared in
several magazines and anthologies.

Claire Rivers
returns home to find her husband, Bryan, has committed suicide, no longer able
to deal with his depression. A music executive, Jason Clemence, calls and offers
Bryan the recording contract he’d always craved, unfortunately the artist is no
more. Claire however, at Clemence’s suggestion, agrees to publish Bryan’s music
posthumously, to massive success…

Appraisal:

I’ve
previously reviewed another piece of Danny Gillan’s work, A Selection of Meats and Cheeses – a collection of short stories,
so I was very pleased to pick up a full-length novel of the author’s.

This is a
long book (for me anyway) at 130,000 words however, even the shortest of narratives
can feel like they take forever to read if they’re badly written, and vice
versa. In this case the story literally tripped off the pages and I found
myself hooked – Will You Love Me Tomorrow
becomes increasingly compelling as it progresses.

One of the
aspects I liked about it was the relatively few characters, meaning the author
achieved a significant focus on the impact of Bryan’s depression / suicide. All
were strong, well-drawn and added to the story and its progression. One in
particular I liked was Clemence’s boss – Phillip Doland. He’s someone most of
us would recognize (I do), a manager who’s risen to the top on other people’s
hard work. Phillip uses bizarre swear words and is oblivious to everyone around
him because all he sees is himself.

Claire
herself is also very good. She could have been swept away in the suicide and
aftermath, but strengthens throughout and finally turns the tables on the
record company. Jason is a fish out of water, one minute confident, the next
shaky. His interaction with Phillip is well done. Another valuable character is
Bryan’s brother Thomas. He’s dislikable, a stuffed shirt who never valued his
brother’s ability.

The story is
made all the more touching, because, with the suicide laid out at the
beginning, the reader knows the characters can do nothing to prevent Bryan’s
fall. But we see the why and the characters learning from this as an experience.

The
author’s experience in this field came through very clearly. Gillan doesn’t
glorify the depression, rather it is portrayed as an affliction that can have a
terrible impact on people – the treatment was compassionate, caring and tinged
with humour. In fact, the latter element lifted the story too, it was by no
means down and depressing. Ultimately it was uplifting and positive. The
conclusion was satisfying.

Well written,
touching, funny and reinforced my view that Danny Gillan is a high quality
writer.

5 comments:

Squeeee! Keith, I am so glad you enjoyed this novel! I read and reviewed this book before I became a Pal. It took me a while to get up the nerve to read this one because it dealt with a suicide, I didn't want to be depressed and I didn't know what to expect. However, I had loved Mr. Gillan’s other works so I made myself read it. I ended up loving it because the characters are all so well written. Gillan has a deep understanding of his characters and his ability to bring them to life in his stories is amazing to me. I will read anything he writes and I have been waiting for another story for two years now.

Disclaimer:

Many of the books reviewed by BigAls' Books and Pals are free review copies received from the author or a representative in exchange for an honest review.

BigAl's Books and Pals may receive a small commission for purchases made at Amazon.com, Amazon.uk, Barnes and Noble, or Smashwords after clicking on a link to one of their products as well as clicking on any other ad presented.

Reviews and posts are the opinion of the individual reviewer or post author.

(c) 2011-2017 BigAl's Books and Pals and the individual review or post author. Theme images by mammuth. Powered by Blogger.